Can



Sept. 20, 1938. H. sEBELL 2,130,676

CAN

` Filed June 4, 1957 2 shet-sheet i Hurry SebeH 4 ATTyS.

sept.. 2'),`1938. H. SEBELL- 2,130,676 GAN i Filed June 4, 1937 2 sheets-.sheet a 33 Vfla i e2 N inventor-f g g 37 'Hurry Seibel! Patented Sept. 20, 1.938l

CAN

` Harry Sebell, Boston, Mass., assignor oi onehalf to Arthur H. Parker, Lexington, Mass.

' i -Appunti@ June 4,1937,ser|a1N0.146,3so

' 4 claims. (ol. 221;-23)

This invention relates to cans of the type illustrated in my vco-pending vapplication Serial No. 141,064, 'iiledMay 6, 1937. The can illustrated in said 'application is formed in one end with two lines of weakness, each of which dennes a tear-out portion, and a cover member inthe form of a strip is'secured to the can and spotwelded to the two `tear-outl portions so that when a pulling force is applied to the cover strip the' tear-out portions will be torn from the can end along the lines of weakness thereby forming a pouring opening and a vent. Y

l It is one of the objects of my present invention to provide a can of this type which is so made that after the can has been opened by tearing out'the tear-out portions to provide the pouring opening and the vent opening there will be provided a pouring spout associated with the pouring opening and through which the contents of the can may be discharged.

When a can having the-construction show v in my abovementioned application is being discharged of its liquid contents such contents ow over. the edge of the can. Thiswill result in l soiling the edge of the can, and if the contents of the can, are only partially discharged there will be a small accumulation of the liquid contents of the can'on the top of thecanafter the pouring opening and vent opening have been closed. This is an annoyance especially where the vcontents of the can is some liquid that'is used in house kitchens for cooking purposes and the like, because it requires that each time that a small portion` of the contents of the can'is used in any cooking operation it becomes necessary to wipe the can top after thepouring open-L ing has been closed. I

My invention provides a novel spout construction which projects from the pouring opening after the can' has been opened and through which the contents of a can may be discharged, said f spout being so constructed that thev stream nowv ing therefrom will be delivered entirely beyond the edge or corner of the canso that a small amount of the liquid contents of the can may be poured out without soiling the top of the can.

In order to give an understanding of my invention I have illustrated in the drawings some embodiments thereof which will now be described after which the novel features will be pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a can end from which a can embodying my invention may be made;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the Fie. ,4:

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the can after it has been opened and showing the contents beingdischarged therefrom; l

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of a can constructed as shown in Figs. 1 and 2;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the cover strip;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the pouring spout;

Fig. '1 isa fragmentary perspective view of a can partially completed and embodying a different form of the inventiom- Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the can after it has been completed; f

Fig. 9 is a section on the line 9 9, Fig. 8, showing in dotted lines the cover strip raised and the tear-out portions torn free from the can to form the pouring opening and the vent opening;

Fig. 10 is a sectional view also on the line 9 9 Fig. 8 but showing the contents of the can being discharged from the pouring spout;

Fig. 1l is a perspective view of the pouring spout;

Fig. 12 is a fragmentary sectional view shcwing a slightly diii'erent embodiment of the invention. y

Referring first to the construction shown in Figs. l-to 6, i 4indicates a can having a body portion 2 and a can end 3 which is secured to the body portion in any suitable or usual way as by means of the lock seam l formed by rolling together a seaming ilange ii with which the can end is provided and a mating seaming flange at the upper end oi' the can body. The can end 3 constitutes the top end of the can. Before the can end .3 is'secured to the can body 2 it will be formed with two lines -of weakness 5 and 6, each line of weakness enclosing` or defining a tear-out portion. The tear-out portion dened by the line of weakness 5 is indicated at I and that deiined by the line of weakness 6 is indicated at 8. Inthe construction shown in the drawings the can end 3 is deformed to present the elongated upstanding portion 9, and the lines of weakness 5. and S are formed at opposite ends of this elongated upstanding portion. The upstanding portion 9 is shown as formed at one end with a depression or recess I0 and the line ofI weakness 5 is formed in the bottom of this recess I0, preferably at the corner thereof.

I2 indicates a cover member adapted to t over the raised portion 9, said cover member being elongated and having a U shape in cross section the vertical side Walls I3 of the cover member preferably iltting the walls of the raised line 2 2, u

end, which can be with the top and edge -of the pouring opening.

portion 9 with a tight friction iit. 'This cover member is provided with a depressed part I4 adapted to fit into the recess ID and which forms a friction plug closure for the pouring opening after the latter is formed. During the process of manufacturing is fitted over the raised portion 9 and is spotwelded to the two tear-out portions 1 and 8 as indicated at I5.

This cover member I2 is secured to the can in some suitable way, and as herein shown it is formed initially with a tab I8 which is rolled into the double-lock seam l at the time that the can 3 is seamed to the can body.

To open the can the cover member I2 is pried or forced oif from the raised portion 9 of the can done by applying a prying force to the end I1 thereof, and as the cover member is spot-welded to the tear-out portions 'I and 8 the separation of the cover member from the raised portion 9 of the can end will tear these tear-out portions 1 and 8 free from the can end along the lines of weakness 5 and 6. thereby forming a pouring opening I8 and a vent opening I8. The tab I6 constitutes a hinge member which hingedly connects the cover member to the can.

As stated above, a feature of the present invention is the provision of a pouring spout which projects from the pouring opening I8 after the latter has been formed, and through which the contents of the can may be discharged. In the construction shown in Figs. 1 to 6 this pouring spout is indicated at and it is in the formof a tube of a size to tit into the pouring opening I8 as shown best in Fig. 3. This tube may conveniently be slightly tapered in shape so that when its smallest end is inserted in the opening and the tube is pressed downwardly into the opening it will find a firm seat against the walls With this pouring tube or spout in place the liquid contents of the can can be discharged without danger that some portion thereof will run over and collect on the top of the can.

It is, of course, important that this pouring spout should be furnished with the can and should be available whenever the can is to be opened, and for this purpose I propose to make the raised portion 9 of the can end with a spoutreceiving depression 2| and to also make the cover member I2 with a recess 22 on its under face which mates with the recess 2| when the cover is in closed position. These two recesses 2l, 22 form a chamber of a size to receive the pouring spout 28 as shown in Fig. 2. When the can is opened by prying the cover member I2 free from the raised portion 9, thereby to form the pouring opening I8 and vent opening I9, the pouring spout will then be accessible and can be inserted into the pouring opening I8 as shown in Fig. 3, thereby forming a spout through which the liquid contents of the can can be poured. I'he pouring spout is long enough so that the liquid which is discharged from the end thereof will flow over and outside of the edge 4 of the can as best seen in Fig'. 3, and thus none of the liquid will be iiowing over and in contact 4 of the can.

When the desired amount of liquid has been delivered from the can then the spout member 20 may be removed from the pouring opening and replaced in the recess 2| and the cover member I2 may then be closed, thereby closing both the pouring opening and the vent opening, and in closing the pouring opening the depressed part the can this cover member I2 vside of the-can top,

' ilar to the tube 32 Il of the cover member fits into the recess I Il and thereby functions as a plug closure for said opening. The recess III has the further advantage that the side walls thereof provide a greater extent of bearing surface for the spout when it is inserted into the pouring opening than is afforded merely by the edge of an opening formed in a fiat wall. i

In Figs. 'I to 1l I have shown a different embodiment of the invention wherein the pouring spout is normally situated on the inside of the can and is connected to the cover member, so that when the can is opened by raising the cover member the pouring spout will be drawn up into the pouring opening thus formed.

.In this embodiment of the invention the can body is indicated at 23 and the can end at 24, said end being secured to the body in any suitable way as by means of the double-lock seam 25. The can end is made with two lines of weakness 26, 21, each of which defines a tear-out portion, that defined by the line of weakness 26 being indicated at 28 and that defined by the line of weakness 21 being indicated at 29. 30 indicates a cover member or cover strip which overlies the two tear-out, portions 23, 29 and which is spotwelded to both as indicated at 3|. This cover strip 30 may be of any suitable construction and I have herein shown it as of a channel shape with the legs of the channel directed upwardly. One purpose in making it of this shape is to give it the required stiffness so that it will not buckle when the prying force is applied thereto for tearing the tear-out portions 23, 29 from the end of the can. In this embodiment of the invention the pouring spout is a tubular member 32 which is closed at one end as shown at 33 and is open at the other end at 3l.A The closed end 33 of the pouring spout 32 is permanently secured to the tear-out portion 28 on the inside of the can, and this may conveniently` be done by spot-welding said end 33 to the tear-out portion at the same time that the cover member 30 is spot-welded to the tear-out portion on`the outside of the can.

When the cover member 38 is pried loose from the can, thereby to tear the tear-out portion 28 from the can end 2l, the pouring tube 23 will be drawn upwardly into the opening 36 as shown in dotted lines, Fig. 9, thereby carrying the discharge port through and above the top of the can. I will preferably make the pouring tube 28 with a ange 31 at its lower end in order to prevent the tube from being withdrawn entirely from the opening 36. When the pouring tube '32 has been pulled upwardly into the opening 36 the flange 31 engages the under the discharge port 35 will be located suiiciently above the top of the can so that the contents of the can can be poured out through the tube 32 and the discharge port 35 without contacting with the can top or the edge 25 thereof.

I will preferably provide a second tube 38 simand having a closed end 39 which is spot-welded to the tear-out portion 29 on the inside of the can, said tube 38 being open at its lower end 40 and having a port 4I jacent its closed end. The lower end of this tu e 38 is also iianged as shown at 42. When the closure 30 is pried loose from the can end to tear out the tear-out portions 28, 29, then said member may be raised vertically into the dotted line position thereby drawing both tubes 32 and 38 into the openings formed in the top of the can. When the cover member is thus raised into the dotted to a point where line position either tubev l2 or 38 may be used as the pouring spout and the other tube will always act as a vent. In Fig. 10 the can is being tipped toward the right sothat the contents of the can are being discharged through the tube 32, and in this case the port Il and tube Il constitute a vent for admitting airto the can as the liquid contents are discharged. It the can were tipped toward the left then the tube 3l would function as a pouring tube and the tube 32 as a vent tube.

When the required amount has been discharged from the can then the cover member may be forced downwardly against the can top thereby closing the openings 36 and ll.

'I'he can may be opened at a subsequent time by merely raising the cover member 30 into itsY elevated position, and after each pouring the can may be closed by simply forcing the cover member down into engagement with the can top.

\ When the cover member is in its raised position shown in dotted lines Fig.l 9, it may be used as a handle for carrying the can. .e

The construction shown in Fig. 12 is similar to that shown in Figs. 9. 10 and 11 except that the can end 24 is formed with a recess similar to the recess I5 in Figs. 1 to 4, and the lineof weakness which circumscribes the tear-out portion 20 is formed at ythe bottom oi the recess in the corner thereof. The cover member I0 is also formed with a depressed portion Il similar to the depressed portion I4 of the cover member in Figs. 1 to 3, which depressed portion 4l ts the recess 41. a

With this construction when the cover has been raised and the tear-out portion 28 has been torn out oi' the bottom oi' the recess there will be formed a hole in the can end 24 surrounded by the downturned iiange 49, and the inner wall of this ilange will provide a tight friction ilt with the pouring tube 32 when the latter is raised into its operative position show n in Fig. 12.

1. A can having an imperiorate integral wall provided with two lines of weakness, each of which deflnes a tear-out portion forming an integral part oi' said wall, and a cover member nently secured to said tear-out portions and by which they may be torn loose from the can, and a pouring spout permanently secured to one tearout portion and adapted to be drawn into the opening formed when said tear-out portion is torn 'loose from the can thereby to form a pouring spout through which the contents o! the can may be discharged.

3. A can having in one wall thereof two lines ot weakness, each of which deilnes a tear-out portion, a cover member overlying and permanently secured to said tear-out portions and by which they may be torn loose from the can, and a pouring spout situated within the can and permanently secured to one of the tear-out portions, said` spout being adapted to be drawn into the opening formed when said tear-out portion is torn loose from the can thereby to form a pouring spout. i

l4. A can having a recess in one wall thereof and also having two lines of weakness in said wall, each oi' which lines or weakness denes a tear-out portion forming an integral part ot said wall, one of the lines of weakness being in the bottom oi' said recess, and a cover mem er overlying and permanently secured to both tear-out portions, said cover member being deformed to present a plug portion adapted to nt said'recess.

whereby when said cover member is pried loose from the can the tear-out portions will be torn out along the lines of weakness thereby forming two openings, ot which the one in the botten. oi the recess forms a pouring opening adapted to receive a pouring spout, the other opening forming a vent opening.

HARRY SBELL. 

